Global Citizen campaigns on issues affecting people around the world, but oftentimes without the initiative of grassroots organizations, advocates and people making their voices heard, change would be impossible.
Across Canada, there are activists who fight the good fight for everything from gender equality and health to education and environment.
In Vancouver alone, there are many true Global Citizens working their best to invoke social change. Here are some of their names.
Stacey Forrester
Forrester is the Vancouver coordinator for the international group Hollaback!, an organization with the goal of ending street harassment of women. A downtown Eastside nurse, Forrester is also the cofounder of Good Night Out Vancouver, a campaign that works to end harassment in bars and clubs.
Danny Ramadan
Ramadan arrived in British Columbia as a Syrian refugee in 2014. He is now a prominent activist in the LGBTQ community in Vancouver, working to put a stop to homophobia and raise awareness about the difficulties refugees face.
Ta’Kaiya Blaney
Blaney is a member of Tla’amin First Nation from Salish Sea in British Columbia. At just 16 years old, Blaney has already spoken at the United Nations in New York, sung at the Paris climate conference, participated in Occupy Wall Street, and taken part in Idle No More in Vancouver. As an activist for the environment and Indigenous youth, she is a UN representative for Youth in Canada and addressed the UN at the age of 13.
Cicely-Belle Blain
Blain is a queer, non-binary activist in Vancouver. Their activism in the LGBTQ community includes working as a youth worker at the queer resource centre QMUNITY. They are also a co-founder of Black Lives Matter – Vancouver. Part of their focus is on ensuring the implementation of intersectional feminism, global black liberation and queer justice into Vancouver politics.
Harsha Walia
Walia is the co-founder of Vancouver’s No One Is Illegal and an advocate in the Vancouver community. Her writing has appeared in academic journals, magazines and books. She is an editorial collective member at The Feminist Wire and has presented to the United Nations on social and economic justice issues.
Jillian Christmas
Christmas is a spoken word artist who uses her craft to campaign on anti-oppression initiatives. She is the artistic director of Verses Festival of Words. She has worked with Toronto Poetry Project, Wordplay, Brendan McLeod's Travelling Slam, University of British Columbia, Vancouver Opera, and the CULTCH Mentorship.
Angela Marie MacDougall
MacDougall has worked for years to end violence against girls and women. She has worked as an advocate, frontline worker, and trainer in campaigns supporting everything from women’s leadership to anti-violence to law reform initiatives. She is now the executive director of Battered Women’s Support Services.
David Suzuki
Arguably the most well-known name of the list, Suzuki is a dedicated environmentalist. Co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation, he campaigns on issues like climate change, clean water and protecting the environment. At 81 years old, Suzuki has written over 50 books and has received many awards and honours, including the UNESCO Kalinga Prize for Science, the United Nations Environment Program medal, and the Right Livelihood Award.
Global Citizen campaigns on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including issues related to gender equality, citizenship, health and environment. You can take action here.